October 18, 2011
One of the most popular posts of all time at FIMBY is my homemade lip balm recipe. I published that post nearly three years ago. Sometime during the last year it hit StumbleUpon and since then it's been "stumbled upon" repeatedly. It's a FIMBY rock star I tell you.
This is a pleasant turn of events for my stats (the numbers I use to track how many people visit here each day, what posts they like, etc.) but is kind of ironic since I blog about lip balm, oh... once a year or so.
Seems like it's that time of year to blog about lip balm again (smile).
This is a good time of year for making lip balm, soap and other body care products. If you want to make these things for family and friends for holiday gifts now is the time to gather your supplies and recipes and start "cooking".
Lip balm is a great place to start if you want to make your own body care products. It's so easy to mix, kiddos can be involved, and you can find all these ingredients at even the most rinky-dinky health food store.
If you live way in the boondocks somewhere with no access to even rinky-dinky health food stores see my Online Suppliers Lists (for both Canada and the US) at Homemade Soap & Body Care.
I've been making the same lip balm recipe for years. It was one of the first recipes I invented (you can't go much wrong with the ingredients) and I like it so much I've seen no reason to change it, till now.
One of the biggest questions I've had about that recipe was the "hard honey" part. In a follow-up post I wrote this past winter I clarified that by hard honey I meant raw honey. But any honey that is solid at room temperature would do (I'm not a honey aficionado so my terms are somewhat generic). Liquid honey changes the consistency of the finished lip balm, which I found out one time - the lip balm did not harden up as usual.
I've also been asked about using honey that has been sitting around so long it's crystalized. I have no experience with that but suspect the recipe would not turn out the same.
I share all this because this summer I made lip balm using what I could find in my mom's pantry - a golden liquid honey. I knew I would need something to help harden the lip balm so I adjusted my recipe to add cocoa butter. Which makes this lip balm even more luscious and kissable than my original.
Notes:
That's funny that one of your most popular posts is on a topic you rarely write about. It happens to a lot of bloggers (me too)! It's hard to predict what will resonate with readers. I think people appreciate the simplicity of your recipe.
A batch of lip balm lasts a long time so I only make it maybe twice/year, not much of a blog topic is it?
This sounds wonderful and fun to make too. I was just searching for homemade Christmas gift ideas. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks to you the make-it-myself bug bit me well over a year ago now! This recipe sounds absolutely divine! Thank you for sharing it with us :) I have passed on what you taught me recently to a group of mommy friends during an evening gathering. I will have to forward this link to them now :) All I can say is Yum!
My "cocoa-mint" lip balm is my most popular! I still use the raw (hard) honey, and put it in sticks. It is firmer than the plain peppermint one I first learned from you, which I like, because it doesn't soften so easily in someone's pocket. :) Tropical Orange comes in second. Thanks for passing on the love of lip-balm making to me last year... it really was a super fun and easy way to break into homemade products.
So cool! I think I just found my new christmas-gift craft.
Just one question - have you tried it without lanolin? I'm allergic - it dries out my skin (how ironic would that be).
Opps, never mind...
I did some reading of your links and noticed you've not tried it without lanolin, but suggested giving it a whirl. Will do just that :)
Thanks for answering your own question (smile).
Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to try this. One question, where might I find lip balm tins?
Check the Suppliers section at Homemade Soap & Body Care or read my answer to Where do you buy the supplies? at let's talk lip balm.
Have you worked much with shea butter? I recently made my own body butter using cocoa butter and the scent is a little strong for me (although growing on me) but I sold the rest of my container to a friend and bought some shea butter to try in its place. They both seem on the firm side.
My homemade lip balm cost me .15/tin and most of that cost was the purchase of the reusable tins. So worth it. The version I made will get quite melty in heat, though, so I do keep a stick of another kind in my bag when I go out.
I've never used shea butter for lip balm but I am just now experimenting with it for soap, to replace palm oil. I LOVE cocoa butter scent. My limited experience is that cocoa is firmer than shea.
Ok, so coming back to post I tried out your recipe today as I needed to make another batch. I ran out of Lanolin so I tweaked it with 1/4 tsp more cocoa butter. Divine! Not to mention my house smells so lovely for the past few hours.
I just tried your lip balm recipe. I love it!! I already want to make more to give away. I am sure as I use it more than once, I will love it even more. Thanks for sharing your recipe and taking the time to write out such clear instructions.
How many ounce did the finished product of the lip balm produce? I would love to make some but I need to know how many tins to buy and at what ounce they should be. Thanks!!
This recipe produces approximately 3 3/4 ounce tins, so about 2.25 ounces all together.
Renee,
I made your lip balm and love love love it, everyone loves it!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to post your recipe. Now to try some more of your other stuff!!
You are welcome Candace. Very happy you experienced success with this!
Where would you get the little jars/containers to put it in?lgaoce
Kristin, You can buy tins at Mountain Rose Herbs. New Directions Aromatics also has packaging supplies as does eBeeHoney.com. I used to buy my tins at my local health food store. Since moving I'm not sure where I'll buy them now when I run out. I just re-use my old containers but it's nice for gifts to pour into brand new ones.
Thanks so much for posting all of your wonderful recipes. I've been anxiously awaiting all of the ingredients for lip balm to come in the mail and they're finally here. I'll be making lots of lip balm for Christmas gifts in the next couple of days. I'll let you know how it turns out!
We absolutely love this post! What a clever, delicious, aromatic recipe! Thank you for using our products!
How long does the lip balm last? in terms of expiring.
I've had tins and tubes last for years. Sometimes the honey will cyrstallize and I'll melt it down again and re-pour it. See this post for more lip balm FAQ.
You can subscribe to comments on this article using this form.
If you have already commented on this article, you do not need to do this, as you were automatically subscribed.
Becky @ Sowing Little Seeds on Oct. 18, 2011, 4:28 p.m.
This really does sound so simple, I think I may just have to finally try this. Question: Are the ingredients expensive to buy up front?
renee on Oct. 19, 2011, 1:41 p.m.
I would say yes, they are. But so much cheaper in the long run than buying lip balm, chap stick etc. I use all the same supplies for soap making and lotion so I almost always have these oils on hand for those purposes.